Department for Education

Home Education: Registration

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Barran on 19 December 2023, what consideration they have given to expediting the introduction of a statutory register of children schooled at home and online, given the rise in those numbers, in order to identify children (1) who are at risk, or (2) who have unmet needs.

Baroness Barran: The government is committed to a statutory system of registration for children not in school and intends to legislate for that at the next suitable opportunity. My honourable Friend, the Member for Meon Valley introduced a Private Member’s Bill on 11 December with the aim of creating legal duties on local authorities to maintain such registers. The department welcomes her long and ongoing support for those measures, which the department had previously introduced as part of the Schools Bill.

Schools: Asbestos

Lord Wigley: To ask His Majesty's Government how many schools in England currently have safety issues relating to asbestos, and by what date they expect all such asbestos to be removed.

Baroness Barran: Responsibility for keeping buildings safe and well-maintained lies with schools and their responsible bodies. Where the department is alerted to significant safety issues with a school building, that cannot be managed within local resources, it provides additional support on a case-by-case basis. The department provides immediate advisory support in all cases. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are responsible for setting the policy and regulations for schools on asbestos management and compliance. The department follows the HSE’s advice that, provided asbestos-containing materials are in good condition and unlikely to be disturbed, it is generally safest to manage them in place. Where asbestos-containing materials are likely to be disturbed by maintenance works or daily use of the building and cannot be easily protected, schools should have them removed. The department has allocated over £15 billion since 2015 to support this work, including £1.8 billion committed for 2023/24 The department has published bespoke guidance on asbestos management for schools in 2020 and is working with HSE and the sector to look at further ways to help them and build on existing guidance and support.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Gibraltar: Sovereignty

Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current status of the negotiations between the United Kingdom and the European Union in relation to Gibraltar.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government, working side-by-side with the Government of Gibraltar, is committed to concluding a UK-EU treaty in respect of Gibraltar as soon as possible. The latest round of UK-EU negotiations took place on 13 and 14 December, further discussions are planned in the coming weeks. The UK is steadfast in our support for Gibraltar and will not agree to anything that compromises sovereignty.

Osaka: World Expo

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to promote British interests at Expo 2025 to be held in Osaka, Japan.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: His Majesty's Government is committed to delivering a high-quality UK presence at Osaka Expo 2025. The UK Pavilion will promote the UK as a global science, tech and innovation superpower. It will also celebrate our deepening and highly productive strategic partnership with Japan, articulated in the historic Hiroshima Accord signed by Prime Minister Sunak and Prime Minister Kishida of Japan in May 2023.

Niger: Military Coups

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the current political and humanitarian situation in Niger following the military coup in July.

Lord Benyon: Since the 26 July coup in Niger, the UK has supported efforts by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to urge a return to civilian rule. With partners, we have encouraged Niger's National Council for Safeguarding of the Homeland (CNSP) to engage with ECOWAS negotiators on agreeing a democratic transition timeline. This is a pre-requisite for the lifting of ECOWAS sanctions, which risk worsening an already dire economic and humanitarian situation. Before the coup 4.3 million people needed humanitarian assistance in Niger and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) assess an additional 7.3 million people could be now pushed into food insecurity.  The UK has urged all parties to facilitate the transit of humanitarian goods into Niger.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their understanding of the political, security and humanitarian situation in Sudan following the indefinite suspension on 5 December of peace talks between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, which had been taking place in Jeddah; and what steps they are taking, together with international partners, to persuade both sides in the conflict to return to negotiations.

Lord Benyon: The UK condemns the ongoing hostilities in Sudan in the strongest terms. The human cost of the conflict is high, with atrocities being committed, a serious lack of humanitarian access and disregard for civilian life. The Jeddah talks, hosted by the United States and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, have now ended following ongoing disagreements between the warring parties. Alongside our international partners, we continue to support mediation efforts, such as those of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, and urge both warring parties to engage constructively to secure a ceasefires and improvements in humanitarian access.

Sudan: Genocide

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have ever recognised the 2003 killings of Darfuri people in Sudan as genocide, and if so, why it is not among the five genocides now officially recognised.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the speech by the then Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid, on Holocaust Memorial Day, 23 January 2017, whether they still recognise the atrocities in Darfur in 2003 as a genocide

Lord Benyon: It is not for the Government to recognise the atrocities in Darfur as a genocide. The UK's longstanding position is that determining whether a situation amounts to genocide is an issue for competent national and international courts after consideration of all of the available evidence, rather than a decision by governments or non-judicial parties.

Home Office

Slavery: Victims

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Murray of Blidworth on 6 February (HL4984), when they will publish the guidance on providing 12 months' support to modern slavery victims who hold a positive conclusive grounds decision.

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government, in the past three years, how many victims of modern slavery have (1) received support following a recovery needs assessment, (2) received all the support they asked for, and (3) received support for 12 months or more.

Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government, in the past three years, how many victims of modern slavery have qualified for leave to remain to pursue a compensation claim or a criminal case against their traffickers.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: We carefully reviewed the commitment made regarding the provision of 12 months’ support to modern slavery victims with a positive Conclusive Grounds decision and concluded that the Recovery Needs Assessment ensures that necessary support is available to victims with a positive Conclusive Grounds decision for the necessary length of time, including if this is 12 months, or longer. There is therefore no need to specify 12-month support for all individuals in guidance and no current plans to do so.A total of 10,704 consenting adults in England and Wales received support through the Modern Slavery Victim Care contract during the year ending June 2023, the largest number support for any year since the contract began, and the Government remains committed to supporting victims based on need.Through Section 65 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, the Government also set out, for the first time in primary legislation, that confirmed victims of modern slavery are eligible for temporary permission to stay in the UK. Depending on the individual circumstances, Temporary Permission to Stay can be granted for 12 months, or more, to confirmed victims of Modern Slavery. This delivers a fair and effective permission to stay process in relation to confirmed victims of modern slavery, allowing those who are cooperating with public authorities in the investigation and/or prosecution of their exploiters to stay in the UK for that purpose.We do not publish the other data requested.

Asylum: Bibby Stockholm

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the mental health needs of the residents on the Bibby Stockholm.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: We will assess individuals' suitability to reside at Portland and will only accommodate single adult males who are considered suitable to reside there.Each person's suitability will be assessed at regular intervals and if they are no longer suitable for any reason, they will be moved to alternative accommodation.Accommodation providers ensure that guidance and training provided to staff regarding the identification and management of vulnerable asylum seekers with specific needs, or at risk asylum seekers, is kept up to date and aligns with best practice.All accommodated on the vessel have 24/7 access to the Migrant Help independent helpline for any concerns that they wish to raise. In conjunction with this, they will have free access to laptops and mobile phones to maintain contact with legal advisors, friends, and family.

Asylum: Rwanda

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government whether, in developing their policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda, they made an assessment of the unemployment rate in that country, and if so, what it is.

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government whether, in developing their policy of deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda, they made an assessment of the health priorities in that country, and if so, whatthey are.

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government which other countries deem Rwanda to be a safe country for the purposes of asylum.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Our analysis of the country situation drew on a wide range of evidence gathered through both desk-based research and country visits. We collected information on economic indicators including the opportunities and support available to refugees seeking employment, together with information on Rwanda’s health system, including its accessibility to refugees.The information was carefully selected in accordance with internationally established country-of-origin information research methods and includes content from a variety of reliable sources such as media outlets, governmental sources and local, national and international organisations.I cannot comment on other international relations with Rwanda.

Asylum: Rwanda

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure the safety of any LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers who are transferred to Rwanda.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: There are binding provisions in the Rwanda Treaty which place obligations on the Government of Rwanda to provide, for those relocated under the Partnership, support and accommodation in line with international legal standards. Protection from discrimination is enshrined within the Rwandan constitution. Rwanda does not criminalise or discriminate against sexual orientation in either law or policy.

Department of Health and Social Care

Infectious Diseases

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government how agreements at the recent COP 28 and previously are expected to affect the conditions in which vector-borne diseases proliferate.

Lord Markham: The COP28 UAE Declaration on Climate and Health includes a commitment by governments to tackle the health threats of climate change. Commitments made at COP28 under the ‘UAE Consensus’ also include an agreement to reduce global emissions and accelerate climate change adaptation.The extent to which the COP28 agreements will result in a real reduction in vector-borne disease risk in the United Kingdom is dependent upon the voluntary implementation of emissions reductions and adaptation measures taken by global nations as indicated within the UAE Consensus. If these emissions reductions and targeted adaptations are realised, this will reduce the likelihood of a worst-case scenario in the UK, specifically the likelihood of invasive mosquitoes that thrive in high temperatures establishing in the UK and the likelihood of mosquito-borne viruses being transmitted as warmer temperatures favour transmission.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Local Government: Bankruptcy

Lord Patten: To ask His Majesty's Government which English local authorities filed section 114 notices of bankruptcy in (1) 2022, and (2) 2023.

Lord Patten: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of providingadvice to English local authorities seeking to avoid bankruptcies in 2023.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Examples of significant financial failure in local government are thankfully rare, however if a council is unable to set or maintain a balanced budget or unlawful expenditure has occurred it may be required to issue a Section 114 (s114) notice.In 2022, three councils issued s114 notices: the London Borough of Croydon, Northumberland County Council and Woking Borough Council. The London Borough of Croydon issued a first s114 in January 2022 due to unlawful expenditure and a second in November 2022 due to being unable to maintain a balanced budget. Northumberland County Council's s114 notice was issued due to unlawful expenditure and Thurrock Council's was issued due to being unable to maintain a balanced budget.In 2023, a further three councils issued s114 notices, all due to being unable to set or maintain a balanced budget. These were: Woking Borough Council, Birmingham City Council and Nottingham City Council.We do not hold an estimate for the cost of providing advice to local authorities seeking to avoid issuing a s114 notice. Issuing a Section 114 notice is a local decision and one that Government has no role in.The Government monitors the financial health of councils on a regular basis using a range of data as well as through extensive direct engagement. We stand ready to speak to any council that has concerns about its ability to manage its finances or faces pressures it has not planned for.

Homelessness

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address the rise in homelessness.

Baroness Penn: We are providing over £1 billion to local authorities through the Homelessness Prevention Grant over three years, including a £109 million top-up this year. This funding can be used to offer financial support for people to find a new home or to work with landlords to prevent evictions, or to provide temporary accommodation where needed. In his Autumn Statement the Chancellor announced additional UK-wide funding of £120 million to help councils address Ukraine and homelessness pressures in 2024/25.The Government is also increasing the Local Housing Allowance to the 30th percentile of market rents from April. This will mean 1.6 million low-income households will be around £800 a year better off on average in 2024-25 and will make it more affordable for families on benefits to rent properties in the private rented sector.

Department for Business and Trade

Professions: Regulation

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans to regulate professional awards programmes.

Lord Offord of Garvel: The Department for Business and Trade has no plans to regulate professional awards programmes within the legislative framework for regulated professions. The Professional Qualifications Act (2022) is part of the legislative framework for regulated professions. It covers those professions where there is a legal requirement for an individual to have qualifications or experience in order to practise. Typically, regulators are responsible for determining entry requirements for a profession and assessing whether individuals are fit to practise.